Utterly Pretentious
by SogniDoroBella
Summary: For my Rumbelle Secret Santa. The prompt was Avengers and Rumbelle crossover. Rumple & Belle can't even manage a vacation without interruptions. Tony and Rumple don't play well with others.


_This is my first Once cross over and my first IronMan/Avengers fic. Merry Christmas to my Rumbelle Secret Santa. Hope you like it _

They couldn't have asked for better weather if they'd tried, and Belle was basking in the chance to get away from Storybrooke. It wasn't that she didn't love their town—she honestly did. But it often proved difficult to find privacy unless they locked the pink mansion's doors or escaped to the cabin. And even the cabin wasn't far enough away to keep them from the numerous emergencies of Storybrooke

It was Rumple's idea to tour New England this fall, and she had fallen in love with the season and its riot of color. They'd shirked the major cities in favor of small bed and breakfasts along the way, but New York was not to be missed.

The dining alcove where they were currently seated was exclusively theirs, and Belle didn't even bother to begin nagging him about the cost. Not when the view of the city was... well, the word still escaped her. It was a feast for the eyes, and she wasn't sure how they would ever find somewhere dark enough to think about sleeping. He'd explained neon light to her, along with the more modern LED lighting, but she remained astounded that so much light and movement could exist in a single city.

"I didn't think I'd have to compete with a town," he murmured, amusement laced through his voice.

She blinked and turned back to him with a smile. "Despite distraction, I'm all yours, Rumple," she assured, reaching for his hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "There might be more people in this one city than in the Enchanted Forest, and well, that's saying something..." The view was drawing her attention, and she knew he would order for both of them.

"Oh, of course it's fine," came a self-assured voice, followed by a dark haired man and a tall blonde stepping into their alcove, followed by a frazzled waiter. "Look, there's a table right here," he waved in the general direction of the only other table.

Belle could practically feel the irritation sparking from Rumple. Before she could finish turning toward him, her hand was already on his arm to stay him.

"This is a private dinner, if you don't mind," he called pointedly.

"Oh, it's no bother, I don't mind at all," the man answered with a grin.

The blonde woman merely shook her head and stepped between the waiter and the man. She bent close and murmured something to both of them.

"Private event, invitation only, and you were not invited," Rumple ground out the words. "I'm sure the general dining room can accommodate you."

The man gave a small laugh and stepped closer. "Looks like an open table to me-"

"Tony," the woman started, her eyes widening a little as she stepped closer to the couple, but Belle was sure they hadn't met. Any further words were stopped when Tony shook his head.

"I'm well aware of who you are, Mr. Stark," Rumple gave a dismissal wave of his hand.

The man's grin grew wider. "Then you must know I own this restaurant."

"Indeed," came the calm reply. "We're to have a meeting tomorrow. You see, I'm Mr. Gold, and I own this building," came the mild reply. "Now if you and Miss Potts don't mind, the lady and I have an evening planned. And I've made arrangements for a private table. For two."

The woman stepped forward and whispered something in Tony's ear before turning to both of them. "Why don't you come over for drinks after you eat? You can enjoy your meal, and then a nightcap?"

"We'd love to," Belle quickly spoke up, giving her most endearing smile when Rumple gave her _that _look. "It would be nice to see more of the city..." Her eyes strayed to their view again. "Where are we meeting?"

"Stark Tower," came the casual reply as Tony slid his arm around Miss Potts and turned her toward the main dining room. "It's the tall, shiny one to the east. Top floor, JARVIS will be expecting you."

They were gone before Belle's soft intake of breath when she caught sight of the proud building dominating the eastern skyline of the city. Staring at the unusual flat platform at the top of the tower, she mused, "Who's JARVIS?"

The lift was an entirely new experience, and Belle hadn't been too sure about it. She wasn't fond of the elevator in the library, and after being trapped in it once (however temporarily), she preferred the stairs. She knew he'd seen the fear in her hesitation before stepping in beside him. And he'd told her that they didn't have to do this. But she did have to do it, if for no other reason than to prove to herself that she _could_.

"Welcome to Stark Towers," came the cultured voice that had greeted them when they first stepped onto the lift. This time, the doors were opening with a soft chime, giving both Belle and Rumple access to a spacious open room.

Her shoes clacked across the floor, and she gave a small smile to the woman waiting for them. "That's quite a long ride."

"Mhmm," the woman murmured in agreement. "Pepper Potts, I work with Tony. And you're Belle..."

"Just Belle," she answered with a smile, taking the offered drink. A glance to her side told her that Rumple was busy circling the room, his sharp eyes taking in their surroundings. Her own gaze landed on the screens seemingly suspended in midair, screens that were there and yet not there, sort of a see-through. She stepped closer, hand waving slowly through the air and giving a little murmur of surprise when her finger tips didn't reach something solid but still encountered an image, one that immediately enlarged in thin air before her.

"Careful, there," Tony spoke, stepping around her and making adjustments to the image with a quick flurry of gestures. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

Rumple's soft laugh was a surprise, and he crossed the room to join them. "Yes, she nearly did."

"What did?" Pepper asked, handing a flute of something bubbly to Tony.

"She nearly killed the cat," he replied smoothly, earning him a glare from Belle. In all fairness to her, she hadn't known that chocolate was toxic to pets. When the kitten started throwing up, she was mildly concerned, which escalated into panic, a series of frantic phone calls, a visit to the Nolans, and a lot of time reading up on cats at the library.

Belle's fingers were already moving toward the image again, though she was careful not to make contact. "W-what is it? It looks like magic..."

"Not magic," Tony countered, "Science. Most of which I designed myself." He practically preened as he manipulated images as he spoke. "Plenty to read, thousands to images to see, and I can send information to anyone, anywhere, with just a few words and a flick of my wrist."

Rumple's phone chimed, letting him know he had received a new email. He didn't even bother to pull out the phone, instead he simply took the glass of champagne Pepper offered and motioned around the room with an indifferent flick of his hand. "But that has nothing to do with why you summoned us."

Tony's brow lifted, and he shook his head slightly. "We summoned you."

"No," Pepper countered, "Actually, Mr. Gold's correct. We summoned both of them."

The two men turned to regard one another, sizing each other up. They were circling like dogs fighting over a bone.

Once glance to her right told Belle that Pepper was watching just as closely.

"And what could possibly be so important to pull us from our first true vacation, our first chance to get away?" Rumple growled. "A few flicks of your wrist, a little tech savvy, and we're to stop our lives and swoon?"

Belle sighed and took a sip of her drink. She wanted to cry and to laugh at the way Rumple was glaring openly at the other man. "I received your letter," she said quietly to Pepper. "I'm sorry, I don't understand how you think we can help?"

"You know people have taken notice of you, Gold," Tony answered, oblivious to their conversation. "A town suddenly appears on satellite images, an entire town, in an instant? And then it disappears only to re-appear? You had to know people would notice. We've had eyes on the town, and we're not the only ones noticing."

Pepper gently nudged Belle in the direction of a seating arrangement across the open room. "Care to join me? The view's spectacular."

She nodded with a small smile as the two men launched into verbal chess. "Rumple could take a while."

Pepper shrugged. "Tony doesn't back down. And he doesn't exactly _play well with others_."

Belle's smile grew a little wider. "He's in there with the champ." She crossed the room, taking a few moments at the floor to ceiling glass panels, really more walls than windows. The view certainly didn't disappoint. She'd never been so high up before. The highest before this was something she didn't care to remember, so she brushed aside the memory.

"-simply because you have this ostentatious building doesn't mean you have the right to take my time-" came Rumple's voice.

It made her smile again, and she couldn't help but remember their conversation when he had pulled up in front of the building and handed the keys to the valet. _"Utterly pretentious," Rumple sneered, glaring up at the extremely tall tower and the prominent 'STARK' emblazoned at the top._

_Belle patted his sleeve and laced her fingers through his. "Your Dark Castle is much larger."_

A glance to the two men told her that they had yet to finish, both bristling and preening, and for half a moment Belle wondered what Tony would think if he'd seen Rumple with the golden-green scales and his full leather plumage. She could almost see the leather pants, but it wouldn't do to think too much about that at present. "I-I'm sorry, I'm still not really sure how we can help," she said, turning to Pepper who had quietly joined her and was a picture of calm as she watched the men strut and verbally spar.

Pepper gave her a once over and took a slow sip of her drink. "Originally, it was Mr. Gold that sparked interest. There's not much to know about him. Very mysterious," she added in a stage whisper, eyebrow raised dramatically. "But you have a particular skill set that is easily as valuable, if not moreso."

"Skill set... in what, exactly? I, ah, run a library," Belle pried. Her first impressions of this woman had been good, but she couldn't seem to get answers. A glance to the reflection in the windows told her that Rumple and Tony had traded barbed words for dark glares and an un-easy cease fire.

"Please, Miss Potts, we're waiting," Rumple spoke up. "Enough beating around the bush. We have plans for the next few weeks, and you're keeping us from those plans. And I _don't _like it when people toy with my plans."

Pepper looked to Belle, who merely shrugged. "He can be a bit... protective."

"Have you heard of SHIELD?" Tony asked.

"I've heard rumors," Rumple answered. "And I'm not interested."

Belle stepped forward. "Wait... what's SHIELD?"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," Pepper filled in quietly, taking the opportunity to refill her glass and top off Belle's.

"A private group too busy protecting themselves," Rumple grumbled. "Again, not interested. We've spent far too much time fixing everyone else's problems, which, incidentally, only cause us more problems."

"Volatile, self-obsessed, doesn't play with others. I read your file, or maybe that was mine?" Tony tossed the words blithely at him.

Rumple's mouth twitched into the coy smile he used when he knew the game. "You're trying to goad me into a reaction. I'm sorry, but there's only one thing I'm interested in. Incidentally, a person and not a thing. She's standing about fifteen feet away, and I'm not interesting in anything that keeps me from her. I've had enough rounds of that already, thanks so much."

Pepper stepped closer to Belle. "I see what you mean about protective."

She shrugged. "With good reason. It hasn't exactly been a fairy tale. And for the record," she added, voice raising, "We've had enough of being apart for several lifetimes already."

"And he's lived enough life times for several people," Tony cut in. "Cards on the table, then? Alright, Mr. Gold has his own set of skills, ruthless though they may be. But you, Miss Belle, caught attention yourself. You can manage difficult people. Volatile people. You have quite a grasp of human nature, and you could be very useful. We were asked to feel you out, but that's not the right approach, now is it."

"Nor was Miss Romanov's," came Rumple's pointed reply. "Sneaking about our town and trying to pry for answers? No, direct approach if you will. Again, you're wasting time. Tick, tock," he growled.

"JARVIS, let him up," Tony called, making Belle glance around to see who she might have overlooked in the room. "Your decision is your own. And for what it's worth, I can understand not wanting to be apart, but you have less control than you think. Control is an illusion- and hey, that's not a threat. Just an observation," he quickly added, hands coming up defensively.

The doors they had entered not long ago opened with a soft whoosh, and a man in a neat suit stepped out. He gave a nod to Pepper, who returned it with a warm smile. "My name is Agent Coulson," he stated, "And I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."


End file.
